Amid a time of deep division and uncertainty, food on sticks remains a failsafe solace to the ills of the world. And few do it better than the Japanese, whose pursuit of grilled stick perfection has seen countless trees meet their end.
This might explain why Melbourne is experiencing a micro-trend of Japanese grilling over charcoal, otherwise known as robatayaki. Chris Lucas’ Yakimono has flicked its Bic lighter up at the top end of Collins Street, and a few blocks downhill at the corner of Flinders and Exhibition, the group responsible for San Telmo have for the first time in their decade-long history turned their sights from South America to Japan.
It’s less revolution, more evolution at the former home of George Calombaris’ Gazi. Partly that’s thanks to a more-dash-than-cash makeover of the proud industrial space, where the terracotta pots that once undulated across the ceiling have been replaced by a colourful phalanx of lightboxes in a convincing simulation of the Tokyo subway system. Also playing its card is the fungible nature of charcoal grilling, the Esperanto of the food world, which switches out its national colours as easily as the Russians at the Olympics
The easygoing pleasures of yakitori cooked cleanly over binchotan charcoal deserve credit for a happy dining room rumble. Take your pick of the chicken: juicy thigh threaded with spring onion, chewy hearts with a bracing sprinkle of togarashi, or a charry meatball, turned from meh to must-do thanks to its side of tare, a smoosh-it-up-and-dip mix of cured egg yolk with thick, sweet soy. Look beyond the chook for the robatayaki’s support crew of charry veg and meat, including a luxe single Skull Island prawn embodying the Platonic ideal of crustacean sweetness.
The Japanese hyper-focus on doing one thing, extremely well, tends to be diluted in the transition to Australia, and Robata is no exception. The menu broadens out to a greatest hits: edamame upping the interest ante with their own blistering turn on the grill, and sushi and sashimi – a DIY salmon handroll with the gritty hit of flying fish roe, say; or a textbook tuna tataki glazed with soy and a hint of wasabi – turning in respectable performances. Want to go big ticket rather than small stick? Pork tonkatsu with an umami-rich red miso sauce is worth a share rather than keeping to yourself.
The worst of the nation-wide staffing crisis appears to have largely avoided Robata. Hitting their KPIs with friendly efficiency, servers are happy to sling a taste from the drinks list that finds a happy balance between sake, shochu and Japanese-themed cocktails and a mostly-Oz wine collection that also evidences the owners’ Spanish Latin American supply chains.
The booze factor extends to dessert, where sparkling sake and a yuzu-bright sorbet join forces to make a spider that’s strictly for the over-18s. Even if Japanese desserts aren’t your usual thing, this love child of a palate cleanser and a cocktail is bound to bring you into the fold – and that’s no sticking point.